From 3AM to Sunset
by ChronicCombustion
Summary: A series of moments: from the every-day to the in-between, but each one a story in the making. (Kingdom Hearts drabbles from my 3am Writing Challenge on tumblr. Some related, some not. Occasional x-over with Threads of Fate.) Various pairings. POV, genre, and ratings will vary.
1. The Ironist

In an attempt to get myself back into writing, I came up with a daily writing challenge over on my tumblr, called the 3am Challenge. All the prompts are randomly picked out of the book _The 3AM Epiphany_ by Brian Kiteley and then set to a random song from my mp3 player to set the mood. The filled prompts cover a bunch of different fandoms - though the majority seem to be KH - so the series is collectively called the 3am Series. All the different sections can be found in my profile but if you want a better system of organization then I recommend checking them out on my Ao3~

(Full descriptions of the book prompts are listed on my tumblr under the tag, '3am-challenge')

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Threads of Fate, nor any of the characters/locations therein.

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3am Challenge Day 1  
Prompt: #10 - The Ironist (500 words)  
Song: Pendulum – Witchcraft (John B Remix)

Characters: Demyx, mentions of Org XIII

(dedicated to ninemelodies~)

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He stood still as water in the doorway to the Grey Room, staring at the leather-clad backs of his few remaining comrades with a dark revelation resting against his teeth.

The words sat heavily on Demyx's tongue, bitter and far too much like lead in their poisonous truth. The others didn't know like he did, none of them. They hadn't bothered to go searching for their own answers like he had; too complacent in their obedience to the Superior to do anything but swallow down the lies forced into their mouths.

But not him.

To everyone else, the Melodious Nocturne was simply a goofy, irresponsible slacker with no real ambition, no motivation or will to reclaim his stolen heart. They were wrong. He didn't fight because he was reconnaissance. Reconnaissance meant he saw, heard, knew things that the others didn't. He didn't work because physical action blurred out the clues, the faint wisps of fact that his mind caught and stored away. Staying still and waiting, watching, meant that he could assess a situation ten times more thoroughly than any of the stronger, more brutish members. It was his job, after all, to relay information. Not to destroy it or only uncover half before rushing in and ruining everything. He was sneaky, he was quiet, and he covered himself in false smiles and over-exaggerated motions to hide how much he had really seen.

No one suspected you of being intelligent, of being a threat when you purposefully made them doubt you. No one made you throw yourself into danger needlessly when they thought you were weak. So he played the fool. He built up his own poor reputation and soon everyone but him forgot just how good he actually was at his job.

Which was how he was the only one of them now that fully understood just what was going on.

What they didn't know, what he had found in Saix's computer, was bigger than anyone still loyal to the Organization could ever have thought possible. The picture was too big for them to see the whole of it; too dark for eyes blinded by over a decade of brainwashing. They were all of them – from numbers III to XIII – being used.

And what was worse was that Demyx knew it was only a matter of time before someone higher up discovered the breach in their carefully-guarded deception. It was only a matter of time before he was silenced. The Keybearer was awake; what better way to annihilate a Nobody than to send him against an adversary he could very likely lose to? That was another reason Demyx had stayed alive for so long despite his ditsy disposition: he knew how to read the clues he gathered. He could figure out how they fit together and what they meant. He knew that when Xemnas finally decided to send him against Sora that the Superior would not be expecting him to return.

He would be sending Demyx off to die.


	2. One Moment

Disclaimer still applies.

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3am Challenge Day 2  
Prompt: #96 - One Moment (300 words)  
Song: Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars

Characters: Axel, Roxas

(dedicated to kaijuindigo on tumblr~)

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Sunlight creeps along the skyline and dyes the heavens with a brilliant array of pinks and yellows, lavenders and reds. It's like stained glass, he thinks, like windows in a castle tower. It may very well be the most beautiful sunset he's even seen.

The wind smells like autumn, like the dying of summer and while it's fresh and calming, he doesn't want these sticky-hot days to end just yet. Not if it means an end to the hours where the sun refuses to sink down below the horizon without first burning everything in its wake with scarlet and gold.

He looks over at Roxas, a shining halo of blond in his peripherals. He stares for a moment, just observing the way his shorter companion balances the bare ice cream stick against his lower lip, sucking on it in thought while they sit in silence. Minutes pass like days and Roxas turns to face him.

The movement causes the sunbeams trapped behind Roxas' head to burst free. He is wrapped in radiance – bathed in the light of infinity and glowing like he is a celestial body all his own. It makes Axel think of the gilded, arching gates of his original home world and, just for a moment, Axel thinks he can feel something stirring in his empty chest. A wave of nostalgia crashes through him, knocking him off balance and out into unknown waters. Salt stings his eyes and it takes a moment for him to realize it's not the last vestiges of the ice cream still clinging to his tongue. He feels his breath catch in his throat.

 _Love._

He is in love.

Roxas blinks at him, eyes a stunning, perfect blue, and Axel cannot find the words to answer him against the phantom pounding behind his ribs.


	3. Unintended Humor

Disclaimer still applies.

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3am Challenge Day 3  
Prompt: #170 - Unintended Humor (600 words)  
Song: Vitamin String Quartet - Check Yes Juliet

Characters: Axel, Roxas, Xion, nameless shopkeeper

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Time in the Organization was measured in strange ways. After all, when you technically didn't exist the days and weeks tended to skew together with unchanging skies and endless heart-shaped moons. Before you knew it, ten years had passed and you were stuck taking care of the newest batch of Nobodies to enter the circle.

Luckily – or maybe not – the two diminutive zombies had been there long enough to start gaining personalities of their own; unquenchable curiosity and all.

Axel groaned, running a hand over his face as he stared at the spot where the three of them were supposed to meet. "Great," he muttered, glancing around the empty rooftop. "Friggen' great. Third time this month."

It wouldn't have been so bad that Roxas kept running off if he was just by himself. The kid was pretty good about staying out of sight and not talking to strangers, and his skill with the Keyblade wasn't too shabby either. In all honesty, when it was just Roxas skipping off to do his own thing, he usually just went and found himself a place to perch and observe, holding onto little details to ask Axel about later on the clock tower.

No, the thing that was starting to rub Axel's nerves raw was that now Roxas had decided he was trained enough to start showing Xion around, too. Sense of time be damned, even Axel was aware enough of its passage to know that the tiny twins were nowhere near experienced enough to go cavorting around Twilight Town on their own. Especially since it was right about sunset and they'd stood their redheaded protector up yet again.

With a sigh of long suffering and a few muffled curses Axel trudged off down the tower stairs, resigned to scouring the town if needed. He was too annoyed to call up a corridor, figuring the walk might help him clear his head a little. He didn't need to be grumpy around the kids.

He spotted them easily as he came around the bottom of the stupidly-long hill. There they stood, holding hands in front of the accessory shop like a pair of salt and pepper shakers in their matching coats – a cheery-looking shopkeeper leaning over her counter and smiling just a little too brightly. Not wanting to deal with her, Axel approached quietly and kept to the wall where he'd be harder to notice.

"You two look so cute together," he heard the shopkeeper coo.

Axel snorted.

The lady sighed dreamily. "I remember my first boyfriend used to hold my hand like that, too, like he never wanted to let go."

Axel felt his face contort in horror. "Boyfriend?!" he repeated silently. He was going be forced to explain what that meant later on, he just knew.

His fears were confirmed when Xion, epitome of innocence, echoed the word back curiously. Before Axel could listen for the shopkeeper's response, though, Roxas' voice cut through the quiet with a happy cry of, "Oh! Hi, Axel!"

He made a mental note to chastise them both later. Stepping out from his hiding spot, Axel raised a hand in awkward greeting. "Hey."

The lady smiled. "Hello! A friend of yours?"

Xion nodded enthusiastically, reaching out to capture one of Axel's hands in her free one and tug him closer. "Yep! He's my other boyfriend!"

Silence.

The shopkeeper gaped, a slight choking noise escaping her wide-open mouth. "O-other boyfriend?"

Axel slapped a hand against his burning face. "O-kay!" he blurted, voice high and oddly pinched. "Time to go now, kids! That word doesn't mean what you think it does!"


	4. Family Consciousness

Disclaimer still applies.

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3am Challenge Day 5  
Prompt: #7 - Family Consciousness (800 words)  
Song: Owl City - Fireflies

Characters: Narcius/TrapMaster, Rod the Bladestar, Axel, Demyx, Kairi, unnamed parent OCs

Based off _Thicker Than Water_ (AdoptiveFamily AU)

(dedicated to ninemelodies~)

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Narcius likes looking out his kitchen window at the three children running through the yard, at two boys wearing bed sheets like capes and a tiny wine-haired girl laughing like she's never been sad as she chases them with a plastic fairy wand.

Narcius smiles so his teeth show just past his lips and chuckles to himself, feeling something warm spread throughout his body. He isn't religious, but he does offer a soft 'thank you' up at whatever gods may exist. This rag-tag family, pieced together out of the unloved and sewn into something bright and beautiful is perhaps the most precious thing in his life.

Out in the yard someone shrieks happily as the chase continues.

Axel doesn't know that Kairi has been adopted, isn't really his blood sister; none of them is old enough to be told this. But despite the fact that their genetics hold no similarities the two have been inseparable since Axel first laid eyes on his new little sister. He'd immediately proclaimed himself her protector and swore a silent oath to be the best big brother ever. Though he was only four at the time and only barely old enough to have permanent memories. The oaths of children, born from love, are steadfast and strong.

Years from now, when Kairi finds her birth certificate somewhere in their dad's office and sees that her real last name is not the same Narcius' but rather "Uncle" Rod's, she will not be upset. Axel will still love her, will still wrap his arms around her and remind her that he is and always will be her brother, and the two of them will share a tearful smile. Nothing will change between them, nor will it change between them and the adults of their family – other than Kairi suddenly having two dads instead of a father and an uncle.

Why should they be upset, after all? Kairi isn't the only one who has been brought into the family from outside.

Demyx may not have the same red-hued hair that his siblings have, may look nothing like the rest of them because he wasn't descended from an East Heaven heritage, but he is family nonetheless. Unlike Kairi, Demyx remembers having different parents, remembers the day Narcius brought him home and the day Axel made him the same promise he had once made Kairi so many years before. And though Demyx has no basis for comparison because he had no siblings while with his original parents, he would have to say that Axel has kept that promise.

Demyx is the rescue, the once abandoned that has now fitted himself snuggly in between his miss-matched sibling as the middle child. No one thinks about his past. Though it is known that he isn't Narcius' by birth, it is never spoken of, never acknowledged. Now that he is there with them it seems unreal to remember a time before their home was his as well. It's almost as if those memories are false because Demyx has always been there with them, the second child out of three, and this odd warping of the time stream is helped along by how easily Rod and the rest of Axel and Kairi's extended family accepts him. He is treated no differently from the other two and it is something that makes him smile each night, as he is lulled to sleep by the sound of his brother breathing in the bed across from his.

Out of all of them, though, Kairi is probably the wisest. Like Axel before her, it took no more than a moment for her to adamantly attach her heart to Dem's. Her love is fierce and loyal and her understanding unfathomable. She knows Dem was hurt before. She knows but doesn't ask him about it and does her best to draw him pictures to make him smile. She knows that Axel remembers their mother. She was still too young when Narcius's divorce went through and so only has fleeting mental images of a woman with hard eyes to put to the word "mom."

Though when she discovers that Axel's mother is not _her_ mother and that her real mother died in childbirth, causing Narcius to take Kairi in because Rod's grief was too great, she harbors nothing but relief. Axel has bad memories of the woman that birthed him and Kairi will find herself secretly grateful that she is not required to love a woman that caused her brother such sadness. She turns that love instead toward Rod two-fold to make up for the years she didn't know him for who he was.

Tag ends with Narcius calling them in for dinner as a grinning Rod peeks over his shoulder, having stopped by to join them.

For now, time is irrelevant.


	5. Consciousness Slowed

Disclaimer still applies.

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3am Challenge Day 6  
Prompt: #69 - Consciousness Slowed (700 words)  
Song: In Fear and Faith - Heavy Lies the Crown

Characters: Axel, mentions of Roxas

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His chest heaved, drawing hot, acrid air into his lungs with each rasping breath he took. Hearts, it burned. Everything _burned._

He senses felt muted. Colors seemed far too sharp against the way the rest of the world blurred in and out of his vision; the smell of the smoke, the way the relentless, jagged roar of his fire seemed to bleed into angry smears across the heavy air. Red and orange suspended in reality like cooling, dying magma swathed in ice-cold water. Something thick and metallic filled his mouth, coated his tongue black.

 _How?_

How had everything come so far undone? Why couldn't he fix this? No matter how tightly he had held onto the last thing he'd had left to lose it had frayed, unraveled and left him with nothing but the sensation of drowning. He was helpless, useless to stop the events unfolding around him. His final saving thread: turned to ash in his hands.

It wasn't fair.

He'd been so close. He'd had the fight under his control, had felt his hollow victory brush against his aching fingertips for a brief, bitter second, before it sank its fangs into his flesh and fled just beyond his reach.

He sank to his knees, body too heavy with resignation and despair, too tired from over a decade of having everything stripped from him like bloodied scabs to stay upright anymore.

The yellow glow of his fire, once so fierce and comforting, a promise made of fury and passion that he would win, that he would _fix this_ , now turned harsh and glass-like. A prison made of frozen flame. Cold and finalistic and a sap of energy against his already fading form, the kaleidoscope of scalding life force draining away and seeping through the cracks and cuts left carved into his body by a set of giant keys. Metal teeth that had torn out more than pieces of his flesh, taking more than just the black smoke that should have been red and liquid instead.

Blue stared down at him, hatred and betrayal and, worst of all, apathetic recognition blazing like twin imploding suns in ways that shouldn't have been possible. The sound of the fire, the hiss of his own demise, it all garbled together, came to him as if through an ocean's worth of heartbeats. He felt his lips work, felt the hum in his skull, but all he could hear was a shrill, piercing ring. It filled his ears and blocked out everything else, even the voice cracking from his vocal chords as he spoke.

It was funny, so hearts damned _funny_ what he'd been ready to do in his hopelessness just to finally bring this disaster to an end. Funny how he'd been ready to kill. Funny how he'd been ready to murder his friend and then burn himself as well because it was the only thing left he could do, only way to save them from this fake existence, to keep them both from being used any longer. It would have been their last act of defiance; their last act of free will. And it could have worked. It _would_ have. But his fire had failed him and the strength of the Keybearer's wrath and desire to live had proven too much to overpower with sheer desperation. They would have faded together, if only he could have won.

But he hadn't.

He'd lost the final battle for their salvation and now instead of that blistering resolve that had kept him going for countless years he felt nothing but emptiness. True emptiness. Not the kind that came from the hollow cavern where his heart should have been but the bleak, lifeless _nothing_ of a man with nothing left to fight for – not even his own existence.

If he'd had the ability to cry, he would be sobbing right now.

The world dimmed to grey, wiping away even the pain of his wounds as a towering swatch of blue and blond and _will_ stood over him, the only color left in his worthless life. He ducked his head.

 _Do it,_ he thought, voice having failed him just like he'd failed his friends. _Finish me._

Everything _burned._


	6. Interrogation

Disclaimer still applies.

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3am Challenge Day 7  
Prompt: #68 - Interrogation (500 words)  
Song: The White Tie Affair - Take It Home

Characters: Axel, Roxas, Xion, mentions of Demyx

(continued in chapter 12)

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The door had barely finished shutting behind him before Axel was grabbed from either side by two sets of hands clamping around his arms. He was dragged spluttering in confusion to the kitchen where his captors shoved him down into the nearest available chair.

"Guys, what the hell–?" His outcry was promptly silenced by a blue-eyed blond leaning waaaay too close to his face.

"Where have you been?" Roxas demanded, hands on his hips.

Axel gaped, trying fruitlessly to lean back and away from the accusing glare his roommate was giving him. He opened his mouth to defend himself but was once again cut off, this time by the raven-haired girl at his side.

Xion crossed her arms over her chest. "Save it." A knowing gleam came to her eyes and Axel felt his stomach drop like lead. Moving to stand beside her boyfriend, Xion raised her chin and grinned down wickedly. "Youuuu…" she drawled, waggling a finger at him as if playfully scolding a child. "…were over at that Demyx guy's place, weren't you?"

Axel squeaked. He felt his face heat up like a furnace and ducked down in his seat, trying out his best impression of a skittish turtle. "Well, I–"

Roxas, who had finally moved back so he wasn't stealing Axel's oxygen, pointed dramatically. His eyes widened impossibly and a sick kind of glee erupted across his face as he bounced once on the balls of his feet. "Ah-HA!" he crowed, sounding like he'd just guessed the bad guy in a thrilling crime story. "I _knew_ it!" He reached over and yanked Axel forward by the sleeve of his shirt. Lithe fingers tugged down Axel's collar before the poor redhead could shove them away.

Axel's skin felt hot enough to melt as two sets of blue eyes shot wide at the sight of the – probably rather impressive – hickey left on the pale skin of his throat. Both his roommates gasped.

Xion squealed in uncontained delight, clapping her hands and grinning like a million suns. "Oh my gosh, _Axel!"_ She cackled triumphantly and bounced away for a moment before twirling back excitedly. Roxas, for his part, just stood there with a smirk that said Axel was in for a world of merciless teasing.

"Okay!" the black-haired pixie of a girl chirped. "Tell us everything! Is he cute? What's he like?" Her eyes narrowed as she paused to think. "He's not an asshole like Saix was, is he?"

Roxas nodded emphatically. "Yeah, Ax, if you're sneaking back in at three in the morning, this guy's gotta be something special, right?"

Axel swallowed. "Well, he… he's still out in the hallway?" he offered weakly. He sent out a silent plea for Dem to forgive him. "If you want to meet him for yourselves?"

Identical grins of pure evil spread across the pair's faces as they looked slowly at each other, then towards the door.

Axel buried his face in his hands with a groan. "I'm so sorry, Dem…"


	7. Inside Jokes

Disclaimer still applies.

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3am Challenge Day 9  
Prompt: #180 - Inside Jokes (700 words)  
Song: Lady Gaga - You and I

Characters: Kairi, Sora, Riku

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"…And then we had to spend like half an hour trying to get Donald out of the damn tree!"

Laughter rang throughout the small, cozy space of Sora's bedroom. The three of them sat in a semi-circle, Kairi in the middle with her childhood friends on either side and a multitude of snacks laid out before them. It was just like old times – the sleepovers from back when they were kids and still blissfully innocent.

Piled up all around them were loose, glossy rectangles of memory. Dozens of landscapes peered up at them from the photos – some with people in them, some without. Sparkling oceans, lush forests, towering cityscapes with gleaming windows and shining walls, all places one or more of them had visited and preserved with the snap of a shutter.

Kairi giggled, shoving Sora's foot away as he lounged on his stomach with his knees bent up behind him. She held up a picture from somewhere near her thigh. "Okay, okay," she said, clearing her throat to coax out the last of the laughter. "Where's this?"

Riku leaned across her lap and squinted at the bright, leafy foliage immortalized within the photo. "I don't recognize it. Sora?"

The brunette shifted his weight up onto his elbow for a better look. "Oh! Yeah, I took that one." He gestured to the picture with the half-eaten cookie still in his hand. "It's the gardens outside Disney Castle. See?" He tapped a crumb-dusted finger over a spot in the corner of the image where a blob of yellow flowers engulfed any recognizable features. "There's the weird topiary that sorta looks like a drawbridge."

Sora's nose scrunched comically as a thought hit him. Reaching out, he snatched the picture from Kairi's fingers and frowned down at it as though it had personally insulted him. "Except… Disney Castle doesn't _have_ a drawbridge. What the heck?"

Riku snorted. "Only you would get nitpicky about the accuracy of topiary." He squawked as Kairi swatted his arm. "Ow! Well it's true!"

The Princess stuck out her tongue at him. She flashed a playful smile at his mock pout and poked him in the leg for good measure.

"It's not about the topiary!" Sora insisted, shooting Riku his pout, though he couldn't quite keep it from morphing into a lopsided grin. "It's a fundamental rule of castles that they have to have a drawbridge!"

Kairi snorted. "And a moat. Don't forget the moat."

Sora nodded enthusiastically, brown spikes going every which direction with the movement. He made a sound that might have been a muffled "yeah!" but the amount of cookie shoved into his mouth made actual words indiscernible.

There was an amused "Oh my god, you two," from Riku, but it was drowned out by the snort of laughter emanating from Kairi. They giggled, and Riku just shook his head with a smile.

"Okay, now _this_ one I recognize." He said, picking up the top picture in the stack nearest him. A beautiful night sky winked out at them, hundreds of stars shining down over the tops of neon-lit streets in Traverse Town's second district.

Kairi leaned in, exploring the city with her eyes. She sighed. "Aw man, I would love to go there someday."

Sora looked up at his friend over his can of soda. A brief glance over at Riku told him the silver-haired boy was on the same train of thought and he shrugged offhandedly. "…How about we go, then?" he asked into his drink, voice carefully nonchalant.

Kairi blinked over at him, startled. "What, really?" When Sora only shrugged she looked to Riku for an answer and got nothing but the rising of his eyebrows.  
"But… I thought you guys didn't have access to the other worlds anymore."

"We…don't?" Riku offered. "But the King agreed we could take you travelling for your birthday."

For a moment there was silence as a slow grin cracked over Kairi's face. She launched herself at Riku and pulled him in for a bear hug, turning a moment later to do the same for Sora. _"Hell_ yes!"

The boys exchanged beaming smiles, knowing they'd done well.

Kairi laughed. "Providing Sora doesn't get me stuck in any trees."


	8. A Circle

Disclaimer still applies.

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3am Challenge Day 10  
Prompt: #188 - A Circle (500 words)  
Song: Ellie Goulding - Figure 8

Characters: Isa/Saix, Lea/Axel, mentions of Roxas and Xion

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They were enemies.

Isa had never really liked loud, vibrant people. He much preferred the quieter type, the kind that could hold a conversation that didn't include childish distractions. He held his standards of friendship far above the reach of most everyone else his age in Radiant Garden. It was the way he liked it – only the worthiest would gain his respect. He would never admit to himself he was lonely.

Lea had never really liked being snubbed for no reason. If someone had an issue with his personality he would much rather they tell him to his face and give him a valid reason rather than just a cold shoulder. He was loud, boisterous, so he tended to annoy or intimidate other kids his age, especially the ones that were less outgoing than he was. He didn't really mind, though he had to admit it made finding lasting friends a bit difficult.

They'd hated each other the first time they'd met; Isa taking an instant dislike of the vivacious redhead, and Lea's hackles immediately raising at the disdainful sneer Isa had given him. Lea challenged him to a street fight right then, which Isa condescendingly declined.

After that, every time they ran into each other Lea would purposefully goad Isa just to irritate him and Isa would rise to the baiting – though he never did anything more than speak down at Lea. Still, it was interaction, and Lea could proudly state that he at least got the "blue-haired snob" to acknowledge him.

It was unclear when they grew to like each other in the midst of all the bickering. They were both taken by surprise when they finally realized their mutual loathing had become an odd sort of aliment. They banded together against those speaking ill of them, and in doing so forged a bizarre respect for one another that soon grew to the strangest partnership ever to exist. They could pick and pull and prod each other, could fight like hissing cats, but no one else could. Only Isa could insult Lea, and only Lea could insult Isa.

And then came the fall of Radiant Garden.

Isa and Lea became Saix and Axel, two beings with nothing left but one another because they didn't even have themselves. They were the first Organization members that weren't part of the original six apprentices, so through the monotony of a heartless existence they stuck fast to each other's sides - though with the new heaviness of Organization responsibilities the lightweight friendship soon became a pantomime made of old habits. They forgot the way they used to laugh together, forgot the innocent teasing when they threw around their harsh words, forgot what it meant to enjoy the other's company while pretending not to.

The Organization grew and so did the rift between them. Gold leeched into Saix's once-blue eyes and Axel found himself turning away from their unfamiliarity, towards the blue of Roxas and Xion instead.

And once again, they were enemies.


	9. Gravediggers

Disclaimer still applies.

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3am Challenge Day 11  
Prompt: #162 - Gravediggers (600 words)  
Song: Klaypex – E.T. (Katy Perry)

Characters: Roxas, Axelle (fem!Axel), mentions of others

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The speakers pulsed with each beat of the music pouring from them as multi-colored spotlights swept across the runway; pink, green, cyan – all moving in a synchronized array before finally swinging downward to illuminate the catwalk.

Behind the curtain separating the audience from the dressing rooms there was a flurry of activity. Models rushed to take their places just beyond the entrance to the stage while assistants ran to and fro, padding over to their designated ladies with arms outstretched and ready to hand off the next flowing designer gown.

Roxas nearly stumbled over a pair of shoes as he flitted past Ollette, who was busy helping a pixie-like girl named Xion step out of a cobalt blue cocktail dress. He shot a glance backwards in apology but kept moving, having no time to spare. He reached his assigned spot just as a fiendishly beautiful woman stepped out from behind the curtain and turned her glass-green eyes his way.

Axelle La'Flamme: sexiest and highest-paid model at Oblivion Designs for the past two years, practically ethereal with her pale skin and bright shock of scarlet hair. Not for the first time that night Roxas felt his throat close off at the sight of his dream woman striding towards him. What he wouldn't give to be on her arm…

He shook himself as she reached him, shoving aside his fantasies for later while she turned around to allow him access to her back. He quickly unzipped her dress, slipping the fabric down off her shoulders. They worked together, taking less than a minute to switch her out of the deep violet gown and into a ravishing little black number with no back and barely any front. He stepped back, careful not to tread on the layers of skirt, and gave his model a once-over before deeming her – as always – absolutely flawless.

They didn't speak. Not when there was so much to do. But she flashed him a smile in thanks before strutting back out to the stage and Roxas felt his heart skip a beat. Once more he ran off to his rack of clothes to hang up the still-warm gown and grab the next one on the list.

Back and forth, over and over the same process until, finally, the last of the dresses had made it down the catwalk and back to the clothing racks. All around the dressing room models were sliding down into vanity chairs, quietly complaining about murderous shoes and the ache in their feet. Now that the chaos was over and done with, Roxas found he could breath more easily. He smiled to himself, feeling the adrenaline in his body trickle to a stop. "That… wasn't so bad…"

A silky-smooth chuckle reached his ears. "Oh trust me, honey, that was nothing compared to one of Marluxia's shows." Axelle dropped down into the chair beside him in nothing but her underwear and flesh-colored breast tape. She carefully held out the gown she'd been wearing – which Roxas took with shaking hands – and propped her feet up on the makeup station. Nimble, manicured fingers unclasped the straps of her stilettos and the model practically moaned in relief as Roxas took those, too. The assistant could have sworn his face was on fire.

Axelle watched as Roxas put things away, perfect face thoughtful. "You did well tonight," she said after a moment. She leaned forward in her chair. "Best assistant I've ever had, actually."

Roxas stared at her, heart fluttering, and the model smirked. "Think I'll request you for next time, too," she winked. "You know. Before someone else does."


	10. Associative Logic

Disclaimer still applies.

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3am Challenge Day 14  
Prompt: #51 - Associative Logic (700 words)  
Song: Nox Arcana - Summon the Wind

Characters: Kairi, Lea (indirectly), mentions of Aqua and Kairi's grandmother

(takes place just after BBS, with little!Kairi and teen!Lea)

* * *

 _LEA!_

Lea I was playing in the courtyard with Gramma and we were picking flowers and – and – and you know that pretty lady with the blue hair that saved me from the monsters? I wanted her to come play with me so I thought maybe if I got her some more pretty flowers that she would come back and we could play so I was looking for flowers that looked like her hair and–

LOOK LEA I MADE YOU A FLOWER CROWN!

See? See, look! It's just like you! 'Cept I couldn't find any red flowers so I made it with pink. Boys can wear pink, right? Gramma says it's a girl color but it's just a color so why can't boys wear it?

But see, we were looking for red flowers and I was also looking for pink flowers 'cause I thought the lady would look pretty with pink 'cause blue and pink are pretty colors, but then I thought the pink looked like you and there weren't any red flowers so I made this one for you outta the pink ones and the yellow ones and HERE PUT IT ON!

Yay! Do you like it? It looks so pretty on you!

But- but-but Gramma said to tell you – you remember the fountains? The ones you took me to play in for my birthday? The big ones down the stairs where I'm not s'possed to go 'cause Gramma said I could get hurt 'cause I'm so little? Those're broken, Lea! Lea, they're broken! There's monsters all over the place and now there's water everywhere, too, 'cause they broke the fountains and Gramma told me to come find you so we could hide!

But I told her – I said "Lea'll get them, Gramma! He can beat up the monsters with his f'isbees 'cause Lea's the strongest and the best brother 'cause he lets me throw his f'isbees, too" – 'cept I didn't tell her you let me throw 'em cause she wouldn't like that and she'd get mad at you and I don't want Gramma to get mad at you.

OH!

Lea, we gotta hide!

'Cause Gramma went to go tell the guards 'bout the monsters but she said I had to come get you and that we gotta go hide.

I told Gramma not to worry 'cause that's what the guards're for! The guards are strong and they'll keep us safe. But Gramma said they might make us vac-yoo-ate. What's vac-yoo-ate?

Wha-no! No, I don' wanna leave! Not until Gramma gets back!

NO! No, Lea, we gotta go hide until Gramma gets back! She said to hide! SHE SAID TO HIDE, LEA!

 _NO!_

No, Lea, I don't wanna! I'll run away! I'll run away and then you'll have to come find me and then you'll get in trouble for not keeping me safe SO YOU GOTTA PROMISE!

Lea you gotta! You gotta promise we won't leave until Gramma gets back.

Pinky promise!

Okay. Now we gotta go hide like Gramma said!

Come _on_ , Lea! Hurry up we gotta-

 _Lea, look out!_

Lea, it's the monsters – ah!

No! Lea! Lea, you're bleeding, _Lea, you're bleeding!_ Come on, _come on!_ You're heavy, I can't - no no no no no!

Get up, Lea! Please! Get! _Up!_

The monsters are coming, we have to go hide! What-? No! We have to go hide, Lea, NO! No, Gramma said we have to hide together, I'm not – no! You can't fight them, Lea, don't fight! We have to _go!_ Come on, come with me! I don't wanna go alone, you said-! You promised, Lea! You said we would hide together until Gramma came 'n found us!

Please! We have to – NO, Lea, no! You have to stay with me! We have to stay together, you're supposed to protect me! You have to come with me! I don't wanna go! I wanna stay with you, we're s'possed 'ta… we have to-! We can go together We can make it but we gotta run – Lea, you can run, come on!

You… You promise? You promise you'll be right behind me? You have to promise!

Lea?

Lea where are you?

You… you promised…

You promised…

* * *

I haaaaaated writing this one. Oh my god, I hated it. I couldn't figure out what fandom to do or what characters to have and bleh. I also got stuck at 500 words or so because I couldn't come up with anything else that was worth another 200. I also feel like I greatly disserviced baby Kairi as a character and for that I am deeply sorry.

Not to mention ff.n messes up my formatting hardcore... *drags hands down face*


	11. Listful

Disclaimer still applies.

* * *

3am Challenge Day 16  
Prompt: #124 - Listful (600 words)  
Song: Klaypex - Go Around

Characters: Axel, Demyx

* * *

Operation Get My Fucking Act Together:

 **PHASE ONE!**

Step One: get out of bed

\- (with more than 20 minutes to spare ya dumbshit)

Step Two: shower, for god's sake

\- (and put on deodorant so you don't smell like a dead fish)

Step Three: EAT. SOMETHING.

\- (seriously. you'll pass out if you just drink coffee)

Step Four: brush your teeth

\- (should probably take some gum just in case)

Step Five: eyeliner

\- (you're more confident when you don't look half dead. better impression)

Step Six: get your shit and get to class

\- (ON TIME!)

 **PHASE TWO!**

Step One: get a seat near the hottie

\- (that's why you want to get there on time, asshole)

Step Two: ask hottie if he's got a pencil

\- (act natural or you'll blow it!)

Step Three: attempt to engage in casual conversation

\- (CAS-U-AL! don't be desperate)

Step Four: ask if hottie wants to go grab lunch after class

\- (if yes, proceed from there. if no, ask about hanging out sometime)

Step Five: phone numbers

\- (ask if he wants yours FIRST. Don't. Be. Desperate.)

 **PHASE OH GOD I CAN'T DO THIS!**

Step One: what was I thinking?

\- (why did I think I could do this?)

Step Two: he's too cute

\- (he's so far out of my league)

Step Three: I am such a loser

\- (there's no way he'd wanna go out with me)

Step Four: I can't talk to him

\- (I'll just embarrass myself)

Step Five: okay, don't panic

\- (stay calm, breathe, don't do anything to catch his attention)

Step Six: just don't make eye contact

\- (pretend you're taking notes. yeah. just keep your head down. keep writing)

Step Seven: shit shit SHIT!

\- (did he look over here? please don't be looking over here!)

Step Eight: oh my god how much time is left in this class?

\- (I'm fucking sweating I'm such an idiot why did I sit RIGHT NEXT TO HIM)

Step Ni

holy shit he looked at me

holy shit

HOLY SHIT

don't panic don't panic don't panic don't panic

I fucking hate my smile he probably thinks I'm so weird now

Fuck shit fuck okay write something new the list isn't working

 **PSYCHOLOGY HOMEWORK DUE DATES**

Friday: vocab worksheet

Monday: nothing

Wednesday: collab essay

(shit do we need partners for that?)

I think I need a partner for that

shit

wonder if hottie still needs a partner

 **WAYS TO ASK HOTTIE IF HE WANTS TO BE PARTNERS**

"hey man, do you have a partner yet?"

"need a parner?"

"want to be partners for that thing?"

"hi my name's Axel will you go out with me?"

"your eyes are fucking gorgeous please smile at me oh god"

"you look like summer incarnate"

"god fucking damnit I am so gay for you"

…do I even know his name?

oh god. I don't even know his name

I think I need help

 **THINGS I KNOW ABOUT HOTTIE**

One: he is blond

Two: he smells like the beach

\- (fuck I'm creepy)

Three: his eyes are fucking turquoise WHO HAS TURQUOISE EYES?

Four: he carries an instrument case around with him

\- (guitar? nope too big. maybe he has a music class right after this. or before)

\- (please let it be before)

Five: he wears a lot of blue and has blue Chucks

\- (favorite color maybe?)

Six: mowhawk

God help me.

 _Hey Axel,_

 _You dropped this when you went running out the door. Just to clarify:_

 _My name's Demyx._

 _I do still need a partner for the essay thingy._

 _It's a sitar, actually._

 _Blue IS my favorite color._

 _If I give you my number will you just ask me out already?_

* * *

Watch in amazement as ff.n f*cks up my formatting and turns it into poo! *jazz hands*

(I also really hope this doesn't piss off any staff members - it really is a legit fic chapter with a narrative and everything; it's just meant to be written as if someone where writing out their thoughts in a notebook!)


	12. Witness Protection

Disclaimer still applies.

* * *

Day 19  
Prompt: #76: Witness Protection (400 words)  
Song: Owl City - Deer in the Headlights

Characters: Demyx, Xion, Roxas, Axel

(continued from chapter 6)

* * *

The apartment door swung open so abruptly that Demyx, who'd been quietly standing just outside it, jerked hard enough to smack his elbow into the wall. Before he could even worry about Axel's landlord spotting the shiny new dent, two sets of hands had reached out, snagged him by the collar of his shirt, and dragged him forward until he found himself face-first on the living room floor.

Well. This certainly wasn't how he thought the evening would go.

" _Jeez!_ Did you have to _kill him?!"_ Axel's voice was pitched close to panic somewhere from off to his left.

Demyx lifted his head slowly, catching sight of his boyfriend's anxious expression as Axel sat petrified in a nearby chair. Before he could ask what was going on, however, someone else gave an indignant snort directly above where Demyx was sprawled.

"Oh _relax,_ he's _fine,"_ the new voice sighed, and Demyx turned his head to see a pair of dainty ankles standing before him. He flicked his gaze up – dread pooling in his stomach – to find a girl with short black hair and sharp blue eyes glowering down at him. She crossed her arms over her chest, intimidating despite her cherubim appearance.

"Okay, you," she barked, "Start talking. What exactly are your intentions with our roommate?"

Demyx gaped at her, still on the ground. "I-uh…?"

But he was cut off as a second, equally accusatory voice chimed in. "Yeah! Axel comes sneaking back in at ass-o-clock and you're lurking out in our hallway." A head of blond hair leaned in way too close to Demyx's face, a second blue glare appraising him with visible distrust. "Pretty sketchy if you ask me."

Demyx was suddenly very aware of what was happening. Quickly shooting his boyfriend a helpless look, Demyx craned his neck to look at the pair hovering over him. "You guys must be Roxas and Xion," he started, offering a friendly, albeit shaky smile.

Roxas scowled, crossing his own arms so that his and Xion's postures were identical. "Ohhhh no. We're not buying the innocent act."

Xion gave a sharp nod. "What we wanna know is whether or not you're secretly an asshole."

Demyx blinked. "Uhm," he started, unsure of how to respond. "I mean… I don't… wanna be?" He swallowed.

Blue gazes narrowed. "Get up," Roxas ordered.

Xion cracked her knuckles. "No one sleeps until our questions are answered…"

* * *

Trying to get back into this challenge since I never did finish it last year. Granted, I was in the middle of planning a move, but since it's September again I want to at least attempt to finish what I started.

I'll probably do at least one more for this story arch if an appropriate prompt shows up. I'd really like to extend Dem and Axel's torture~ XD


	13. Loafing

Disclaimer still applies.

* * *

Day 22  
Prompt: #163: Loafing (500 words)  
Song: Kerli – Sugar

Characters: Demyx, Axel

Unofficially set during the _Riptide_ timeline.

(non-explicit/implied NSFW - headphones advised for song)

* * *

Whoever had said Nobodies couldn't feel was either a liar or a fool.

Maybe they couldn't process emotions properly, maybe they had trouble sorting through the fog that encased where their hearts should have been, but if the feeling was strong enough it would shine through like starlight through clouds. He knew this – was sure that Axel must have, too, to some degree – because the tightening in the pit of his stomach as a hot tongue traced the curves of his neck was more than just a physical reaction.

Not that he couldn't feel physical responses, of course, but if it had only ever been about the heat in his veins, the white light behind his eyes, then he was certain he could have found the same thing elsewhere. Could have done it himself, even. And if it had only ever been about the way breath hitched and hands shook whenever he raked his nails down a burn-scarred back, then there certainly wouldn't have been a trail of gentle kisses across his face afterwards. There wouldn't have been the quiet murmur of his name in his ear, nor the arms wrapped around his waist like he would disintegrate were he to be let go.

And even if there wasn't anything as deep as love that kept bringing them back to each other, then there was, at the very least, a fondness. They were each others' favorites, the ones they didn't share with anyone else in the Organization. They didn't share each other, and they didn't share themselves.

That had to count for something, right?

Demyx sighed, burying his face in Axel's shoulder as the fire-wielder tightened his fingers against Demyx's hip. Their movements were lazy, sluggish – soft caresses through the tingling haze brought on by the past few minutes. Nothing hurried. Nothing frantic or rushed. Only lingering, teasing, slow-building.

With a low hum and brush of lips behind Demyx's ear, Axel shifted, slipped his ungloved hand from the waistband of Demyx's pants. His fingers stayed, though, up under black leather, running along the jut of Demyx's hipbone almost tenderly.

Water and Fire were supposed to be opposites, weren't supposed to fit together so perfectly. They should have clashed, should have destroyed each other the way everyone else expected them to. But they didn't. Water and Fire created something hot and clinging and perfect. So Demyx played the fool, let them assign him to solo recon missions where he could sit and hide and watch the worlds outside the Castle and observe.

An easy job, by all accounts. Almost fun even. Something he could slack at – or possibly even do in just the span of an afternoon if it meant spending the ages before twilight in a place far from the Organization's prying eyes. So he played dumb. And no one suspected because no one could ever guess that, left alone with the promise of Axel's hands against his skin, Demyx's missions were always completed with hours and hours to spare...

* * *

Woooooow okay, I swear this was supposed to be a cute little AU thing where Demyx couldn't concentrate at work because he and Axel had a date that night. But then Sugar came on my mp3 player and suddenly... this happened? We went from fluff to implied... alleyway... handjobs? And it doesn't even properly match the prompt?

What am I doing with my life...


	14. Father and Son

Disclaimer still applies.

* * *

Day 23  
Prompt: #92: Father and Son (400 words)  
Song: Animorphs: Shattered Reality OST – Place to Dwell (The Swamp)

Based off _Thicker Than Water_ (AdoptiveFamily AU)

* * *

"Now remember: you don't have to copy my stance for this to work. Your fire might manifest differently than mine, so go with what feels right or you could hurt yourself." Narcius leaned back on his right foot, ready to dash forward if prompted. He brought his hands up by his waist and curled them into loose fists.

Inhaling slowly, Narcius called up the familiar warmth from deep within his chest. It spread down his arms to the palms of his hands, sending pulses of heat to his fingertips. He exhaled slowly. Shifting his weight, he released his hold on the heat and let it flow back into his core. He smiled. "Just like that. Alright, your turn."

Axel – just across from his father in the practice space – took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Hesitantly, his arms lifted to hover at his sides.

Narcius watched Axel shift so that his stance was wider, feet more firmly planted against the ground. It was interesting to see, interesting to try and guess what form his son's magic would take. Already he could tell that it would be different from Narcius' own; the Trapmaster's flames were bursts, streams of fire erupting from the ground at his touch or fireballs shot in rapid succession from his palms. He called them forth by cracking his body like a whip – spine straight until he either dove forward to summon a plume, or lunged back to hurl the fire at his target. Never standing still, never lingering.

But Axel was different. The ten-year-old had hunched slightly, ducking his head and rolling his shoulders back – almost as if the flames in his skin were coiled inside his arms. He lifted his hands a little higher, pushed them out and away from himself with a flick of his wrists. Nothing happened.

He stayed that way for a few moments, scrunching his face up as if he were straining, before finally dropping from his pose with a frustrated exhale. He looked up at his father with a whine of disappointment.

Narcius offered a soft smile. "Hey, it's okay, just don't force it." He thought for a moment. "…Try unlocking your knees."

Relaxing his stance, Axel tried again. He flicked his hands out once more – and this time, plumes of red and yellow blossomed from his fingertips, spiraling around his body like a whip born of flames.

Narcius grinned.

* * *

Not directly linked to the AdoptiveFamily AU, but still set in the same universe as my story _Thicker Than Water._ Can also be set sometime after/around chapter 4 of this work.

(I wanted to have kid!Demyx in there, too, accidentally discovering he could wield water, but I ran out of words. Another time, perhaps...)


End file.
